


Warm Winter

by Takamin



Category: Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Relationship Discussions, Weekly Updates, based off writer's personal experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takamin/pseuds/Takamin
Summary: Kyousuke's parents are away for one month. Tenma becomes his new roommate.
Relationships: Matsukaze Tenma/Tsurugi Kyousuke
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	1. The first week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love live! sunshine!! it's like if tenma stayed at okinawa but kyousuke moved there

As he exits the school’s gates, Tenma hears a woman calling his name. “Tenma-kun! Tenma-kun!” he hears. That voice doesn’t correspond to Sorano. No, it’s a deeper voice, it sounds like an adult. But it doesn’t sound like Kino’s voice, whose voice always has a sweet, gentle tone. Despite not being sweet, the voice he is hearing _does_ sound gentle. As he approaches the owner of that smooth voice, Tenma begins to realize who it is.

“Tsurugi’s mother…?” Tenma reaches the woman calling his name.

“Tenma-kun! Good afternoon, it’s good to see you,” the woman tells him with a big smile.

Tenma has seen her before. “Good afternoon!” He wonders why she’s here, guessing she’s accompanying her son to see his older brother. “Tsurugi should be here soon.”

“Ah, yes, Kyousuke… about him… can I ask you a favor?” The woman is nervous, since she’s going to request something difficult to a child. But she didn’t have any other choice. With her older son stuck at the hospital and her husband accompanying her… Tenma was her only hope.

“Sure, what is it?” Tenma knows Kyousuke fairly well, so he shouldn’t have any problems with anything the woman tells him to do.

“Could you live with Kyousuke this month?”

Tenma blinks. Did she mean… living in the apartment where the Tsurugi family lives? That couldn’t be it. Why would she want him there? If he was dating Kyousuke, he would understand it a little bit, guessing that she would be offering a place for him to live with his partner. But he and Kyousuke are friends, so that situation didn’t apply to them. “What… do you mean?”

“Eh… Let me explain. Me and Kyousuke’s father are going on a business trip tomorrow,” the woman begins, “and he doesn’t have anybody to stay with. None of our relatives live nearby and Yuuichi can’t leave the hospital. You're the only person I can turn up to, Tenma-kun.” The woman bows. “Please. I can talk with your mother if you need me to!”

“I don’t live with my mother, but, uhm…” Tenma is fine with being Kyousuke’s roommate for a month, but he needs to consult the matter with Kino first. Albeit he lives alone, she still is his caretaker and functions as a mother to him. Though the woman’s offer wasn’t bad and it would help him avoid having a conversation about a role he isn’t sure of how he is going to fulfill. “You could talk with Aki-nee. She takes care of me.”

The woman takes out her phone. “Of course. Can I have her number?”

Tenma nods and shows her Kino’s number.

“I’ll talk with her, then. Thank you, Tenma-kun.” The woman leaves, calling Kino as soon as she turns around. She is leaving tomorrow, so there’s no time to waste. “…Kino-san? Good afternoon. I’m…”

* * *

“Welcome back, Tenma-kun,” Kino greets Tenma as the kid approaches his dog to pet him. “Tsurugi-kun’s mother told me about the situation. I haven’t talked to your mother yet, but I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it.”

“Really?!” Tenma’s eyes shine. Living with one of his closest friends sounds like an amazing idea to the young boy. The only downside is that he won't get to pet Sasuke everyday, after school. “Then, I’m going to Tsurugi’s later! He’ll need to show me around if I’m going to live there!”

“You should eat something first,” Kino tells him, guiding him to the kitchen.

* * *

A few hours afterwards, Tenma presents himself at the apartment the Tsurugi family has. He rings the doorbell and waits for someone to open the door. The person who opens it makes his face glow. “Hello, Tsurugi!”

“Tenma… Hello.” Kyousuke knows why Tenma is there and he isn’t happy about it, but neither mad nor sad. He doesn’t know how to feel. He _should_ feel delighted. Spending an entire month alone with Tenma wasn’t something he was offered everyday, but there were feelings inside him that didn’t allow him to enjoy the situation. “Come in.”

“Thanks,” Tenma says, entering the apartment and taking off his sneakers. “Your parents aren’t home?”

“They’re at work,” Kyousuke tells him. “Follow me.”

“Okay!” Tenma responds.

Kyousuke shows around his home to Tenma, but it’s more of a reminder of where everything is. Tenma has already been there a few times and does remember the apartment well. After he finishes telling Tenma where he will be sleeping, he heads to the living room. “I think that’s it.”

“Got it!” Tenma receives a message from Kino, one he had been expecting since the conversation he had with Kyousuke’s mother. “Ah, my mom lets me stay with you! Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah,” Kyousuke mutters with an empty smile.

Tenma walks to the entrance. “I’m going home to pack my suitcase! I’ll see you tomorrow, Tsurugi!” He waves a hand and leaves, nearly skipping on his way home. This is going to be a new experience for him, but he’s excited about it.

Kyousuke silently waves back at Tenma, even after he leaves, and ends up dropping his hand on the couch’s arm. He feels exhausted. His new life with Tenma hasn’t started yet, but he has a bad feeling about the idea of living with his friend. _What am I going to do…_

* * *

Next day, after soccer training, Tenma leaves with Sorano and Nishizono… and Kyousuke. His two usual companions find it weird, but guess he’s there because of Tenma. They stop walking when Tenma makes an unexpected turn.

“Tenma?” Sorano points forward. “Isn’t your place this way?”

“Yeah, but I’m living with Tsurugi now,” Tenma clarifies.

His friends murmur an astonished ‘woah’.

“I’m off!” Tenma waves goodbye to his friends and turns the corner alongside Kyousuke. “You aren’t going to visit Yuuichi-san?”

“I already went this morning,” Kyousuke tells him.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go after training?” Tenma asks.

Kyousuke remembers his brother telling him the same thing, even telling him that he didn’t need to visit him everyday. “Maybe.” But it’s not wrong to make sure his brother is okay, right? Though it might be true that he worries too much…

“Let’s visit him tomorrow,” Tenma suggests to Kyousuke. It has been a while since he had seen the older Tsurugi brother, so it would be a nice opportunity to reconnect with him.

“Tomorrow is Saturday. The hospital will be closed,” Kyousuke tells him.

“Oh… Anyways, wanna do something tomorrow?” Tenma asks.

Kyousuke has made plans with Shindou for that exact day. He guesses Shindou won’t mind extra company, already hearing his unfunny jokes about his feelings for Tenma in his mind. “Sure.”

* * *

“So, you’re living together?” Shindou asks. He sips his coffee and smiles. The people beside him are very close to him, but they often don’t have the chance to hang out due to Shindou always studying for his exams or his piano classes. Today is one of the few free days he has. Though he usually spends that free time with Kirino, today he wants to know more about their friends’ new life.

“Yeah, though I’ve only been living with Tsurugi for one day. We haven’t done a lot of stuff.” Tenma tries to drink his beverage but burns his tongue on the attempt.

“But I bet Tsurugi is liking the experience a lot.” Shindou looks at Kyousuke, waiting for a response.

With the wary gaze Kyousuke is giving Shindou going unnoticed by him, Tenma asks, “What do you mean?”

“Tenma, don’t you enjoy spending time with Tsurugi?” Shindou asks back.

“Of course I do!” Tenma answers.

“That’s what I mean. Right, Tsurugi?” The way Shindou is holding his head on his hand would scare Kyousuke if it wasn’t because of the gentle eyes confirming he isn’t trying to harm him. “Don’t you enjoy being accompanied by Tenma?”

Kyousuke misprizes Shindou doing those sorts of remarks around Tenma, but he has to deal with it. “I do.” It’s the truth. He enjoys Tenma’s company. But being with him too much will end up hurting him. It’s better to keep a distance, he thinks. It’s better to not fall deeper in the bottomless pit he has found himself in. “Don’t listen to Shindou-senpai, Tenma.”

Tenma raises his brows. Was what Shindou had said upsetting to Kyousuke? But why would it be? He knows Kyousuke is bad with feelings, and even worse at showing affection. The boy tries and that’s what matters. Yet, Tenma feels that Kyousuke wouldn’t get bothered by the question unless he had an underlying motive. He is out with his friends right now, so he doesn’t want to think about it.

“You two wanna go to a _karaoke_ after this?” Shindou asks. He enjoys going to _karaoke_ places a lot. Being a musician himself, he’s into a great variety of music.

“Sure!” Tenma responds. Though he’s never been to a _karaoke_ and doesn’t trust his singing skills, the idea excites him. He bets Shindou and Kyousuke are amazing at it, especially the latter one, whose deep and smooth voice sounded perfect for singing.

Kyousuke isn’t a fan of the idea, but accepts it because Tenma is excited.

* * *

“This one goes for you, Tsurugi!” Shindou tells him as he chooses his preferred song for the occasion.

Dread invades Kyousuke’s body.

_A pair of cheeks tinted pink_

_Indicate a sense of newfound love_

_Like a big round balloon_

_Your heart expands and there's no stopping to it_

“Do you like anybody, Tsurugi?” Tenma asks the boy beside him.

Kyousuke flinches and looks at Tenma with wide eyes. He doesn’t want to lie to him, but neither is going to tell him how he feels. “Something… like that,” he ends up answering. He looks at Shindou again, who seems to be having a blast.

“I’m sure that person likes you too.” It’s impossible for someone to dislike Kyousuke. It’s impossible to not love him, Tenma thinks. Only someone who doesn’t know how Kyousuke is would dislike him.

“I hope so…,” Kyousuke whispers to himself. He’s glad Tenma is concentrating on Shindou singing, whose voice hides his own.

_Starting to like someone_

_Is a really wonderful thing isn't it?_

_Going to deliver that famed "I love you"_

_Don't hesitate for a moment and be straightforward_

_And then express to them all of those feelings_

_Because as long as you have me by your side_

_You will have courage! Cheer for you!!_

Kyousuke gets the message Shindou is trying to convey to him, but it’s not like he had doubts about it before. At least, the song was about cheering for him, not making fun of him. They’re jokes, Kyousuke knows that. But those jokes make _him_ feel like one.

“Who wants to go now?” Shindou asks after finishing.

Tenma gets up from the couch. “I’ll give it a try,” he says, taking the microphone from Shindou. He goes through the song catalogue, trying to find a song he remembers listening to years ago and liking it. “Here it is!”

“You two should sing _Garden of Glass_ ,” Shindou jokes, nudging Kyousuke.

“No way.” Kyousuke huffs. He and Tenma aren’t girls, nor have a secret romance, so why would they sing a song about lesbians secretly dating? He looks back at Tenma when the boy starts singing.

_I'm feeling happy, so I'll go see you_

_I'm feeling lonely, so I'll go see you_

“ _Going to see you_ ,” Shindou sings. He decides he’ll act as Tenma’s backing vocalist for today. “Tsurugi, sing with us!”

_That's the feeling I have_

_Whether I'm moving forward or whether I'm in distress_

_We'll always be connected_

_With our earnest dream_

“ _Hi! Let’s go!_ ” Shindou and Kyousuke sing, though Kyousuke is not as enthusiastic as Shindou is. He sounds much more calm.

_We'll capture tomorrow (Hi! Go go!)_

_If it's you, I know you definitely can do it!_

_Every now and then, let's take things at an easier pace_

_And take a good look at the things you want to do_

_From there, try your hardest with all of your might!_

“ _Let’s work hard!_ ” Kyousuke is getting more and more into it. With Tenma’s voice, the song’s lyrics sound warm, and that nice heat collapses into his heart.

_And let our clear feelings soar into the sky_

“ _Every moment,—_ ” Tenma turns and extends his hand towards Kyousuke— “ _I'll always be gazing right at you._ ”

Blush. That’s what Kyousuke guesses his face is doing. “What are you doing?” he asks, trying to maintain his cool. Nope, that action hasn’t made his heart skip a beat. That would never happen to him. _Never_. The jump he felt in his chest was just his imagination.

“I wanted to look like an _idol_. They do this sort of thing, right? When they want to reach your heart.” Tenma repeats the motion. “But I don’t think I reached yours…,” he laughs off and does a peace sign over his eye. “Maybe this would’ve been better?”

Shindou, who is trying to not laugh at Kyousuke’s static eyes and die from the laughter, joins the conversation. “I think you did reach his heart.” Knowing Kyousuke is looking at him, Shindou adds, “You reached mine as well.”

“Really?!” Tenma asks with shiny eyes.

“Yeah,” Shindou responds and gets up from his seat, going through the song catalogue. “Let’s see what Tsurugi should sing…”

Kyousuke gets up as well and takes the microphone from Tenma. “Why are you choosing for me?”

“This one is perfect for you!” Shindou chooses the song that caught his attention and sits back on the couch.

Kyousuke reads the lyrics, blinking when he hears the music. “I’m not singing this.”

“C’mon Tsurugi, don’t be boring!” Shindou gets close to Tenma and whispers, “Sing with me.”

They start singing, “ _Love you love you, puwa puwa! Let's go love you love you, puwa puwa!_ ”

Kyousuke sighs.

_I want to see you see you_

“ _Love you love you_ … hey, you skipped the baby!” Shindou shouts to Kyousuke while Tenma keeps singing the background vocals.

“I’m not singing that!” Kyousuke shouts back.

“Give me the microphone then!” Shindou jumps from his seat and snatches the microphone from Kyousuke’s hand.

Kyousuke sits back on the couch. He anyways didn’t want to sing such a girly song. His eyes focus on Tenma, who’s still singing, accompanying Shindou now. When did he even fall for this kid? He looks at the floor, trying to remember. When they first met each other? No, that’s impossible. The only thing Kyousuke felt at that time was hatred. When Tenma was the only person who believed in him? The memory is hazy, but he remembers feeling happy. But there’s no way he is falling for someone he barely knew at the moment. When was it, when was it, he wonders. He can’t pinpoint a specific time where his mind decided he is in love with Tenma, he only knows he liked him more and more each day that they passed together.

“Tsurugi?” Tenma asks, noticing Kyousuke’s blank stare. “Is something wrong?”

Kyousuke comes back to reality and directs his gaze towards Tenma. “Tenma.” Tenma looks confused… it makes him look at the floor. He shouldn’t think of Tenma when he’s right beside him. “Tenma…” He tries to come up with a response, but his mind is still digesting the surprise Tenma has given him.

Taking advantage of the small instrumental break he was being given, Shindou turns around to get both boys’ attention. “Wasn’t there a park you wanted to go to with Tenma, Tsurugi?” Shindou asks and turns again, just in time before the lyrics appear again on screen.

Kyousuke looks at Tenma again with a determined gaze, startling him. “Yes! Tenma, there’s a park we have to visit!” He tells him. He’ll thank Shindou later for rescuing him. “It’s nearby my place and pretty! So…! So…” Trying to stop looking like a fool, he interrupts his eye contact with Tenma. “So… do you want to go?”

“Of course!” Tenma responds, wondering why Kyousuke is so nervous about asking him to go to the park. It’s like he is thinking of it as a date. That would be funny. Kyousuke sometimes acts weird around him, but there’s no way he has a crush on him… Though he wonders if there’s something Shindou knows about Kyousuke that he doesn’t.

* * *

An hour later, the group is out of the karaoke. The younger boys wave goodbye to their older friend and leave.

“I like your voice,” Tenma comments as he and Kyousuke walk together.

“Me too,” Kyousuke blurts out. He tries to not slap himself. “I like your voice too,” he corrects himself. Idiot.

“A-Ah…” Tenma wants to ask Kyousuke why he is nervous, but feels that bringing up his nervousness will only make Kyousuke more nervous.

Oh, this was going to be a very long month for Kyousuke…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year, folks! how are y'all?
> 
> the new dia mv is gorgeous. i have big expectations for kanan's! knowing suwawa, i hope it's a sweet, printemps-like song.  
> my new year gift was getting [the best card in the entirety of sif](https://imgur.com/a/UYJBIjV) and like three more urs
> 
> also anyone else love printemps or am i supposed to puwa puwa by myself
> 
> that said, new year, new fic!  
> i struggled a bit writing this, but i feel that's for reasons i will explain in the fic's final notes  
> kudos, comments, reviews and anything else will be very appreciated!
> 
> edit: forgot to say this. songs used are "cheer for you!", "donna toki mo zutto" and "puwa puwa-o!". english lyrics were taken from the love live wiki.


	2. The second week

“Are you going to do anything this weekend, Tsurugi?” Tenma asks his roommate. He has been living with him for a week now and things are going well. Nothing extraordinary has happened, but that’s not something bad. Just means their life together is set in a good path.

“No,” Kyousuke answers. He’ll do homework and might go to the arcade, but besides that, he doesn’t have any plans.

“I’ll think of something!” Tenma wants to have as much fun as possible with his friend and he doesn’t want to waste any possible chance to spend time with him.

Kyousuke takes a step further and remembers what Shindou said last week. A park, huh. That could be fun and it’s not far from where he lives. He considers the option, alongside the possibility of going to a restaurant with Tenma. Yeah… that would be nice. Having a chit-chat under a faint light, without anyone bothering them… Kyousuke can’t help himself. He’s going to make a reservation.

* * *

Kyousuke buttons his black shirt, feeling Tenma’s eyes on his body.

“You’re dressing really fancily…” Tenma looks at his own clothes. Sweatpants and a sweater _do not_ go along Kyousuke’s elegant look. He takes a shirt and a pair of jeans out of his suitcase and takes off what he’s wearing now. “I’m going to look out of place if I go with that.”

Kyousuke watches Tenma change, finding the attire charming. “It looks good on you.”

“Thank you. You also look good,” Tenma says. He can tell Kyousuke enjoys fashion stuff, though he didn’t understand it very well.

Kyousuke looks away. “Thank you.”

* * *

“This is amazing!” Tenma is astonished by his surroundings. Though it’s a small park, the lit up in-ground lights and fountain make the place look magical. Both of them being alone gives the experience a special feel, Tenma thinks. “I wish I lived somewhere like this!”

After being here many times, Kyousuke isn’t amazed by the park’s decorations anymore. What amazes him is how well the lightning looks on Tenma. While Tenma’s eyes are focusing on the fountain, Kyousuke’s are focusing on _him_. The calm expression on Tenma’s face as he watches the water flow… It infatuates Kyousuke.

Tenma turns his head, feeling he is being observed. “Tsurugi?” Kyousuke, for some reason, sometimes stares at him. Tenma knows that. But unlike those other times, Kyousuke remains still when their eyes meet. Feeling like he’s going to blush, Tenma calls Kyousuke again. The boy is not even blinking.

“Eh? Ah…,” Kyousuke stutters. “I’m… sorry.” He doesn’t know what else to say more than to express how sorrowful he is for feeling the way he does towards his teammate. His friend. The closest person to him.

“Are you okay? Your pupils… are very dilated.” Tenma once read online that dilated pupils can be a sign of some serious issues, though also a sign of attraction. He doubts it’s the latter option. Kyousuke would have to be over the heels for him to give such a strong reaction.

“T-That’s… It’s nothing.” Kyousuke stops looking at Tenma, starting to feel his heart beat faster, his body trembling. This wasn’t good. “It’s night, so that’s probably why… they are…” Suddenly, there’s a knot in his throat and he can’t keep speaking. _This is it. Tenma is now going to hate me because I…_

“Oh,” Tenma responds quietly. That’s a fair point. It doesn’t matter now though, as Kyousuke is not moving from where he is standing. Whatever it is that’s happening to him, Tenma can sense is something bad. He approaches Kyousuke and, with care, takes his hand. The scene must look weird, he guesses. Not only because Kyousuke’s hand is inside his own pocket (as usual), but also because they’re holding hands at a park. Alone. At night. It certainly gives off the wrong impression.

Kyousuke opens his mouth to express how sorry he is again, but shuts it. His hand escapes his pocket. Amber eyes look at the united hands. Kyousuke wonders how such a small action can make him feel at ease. He tightens his grip, as a way of thanking Tenma.

Tenma pulls Kyousuke’s hand with small force, suggesting that he follows him. Tenma goes to one of the banks in the park and sits on it, letting Kyousuke’s hand go. He looks at him, wanting him to take a seat as well.

Kyousuke sits beside Tenma, taking his hand. His heart stops beating when he feels Tenma’s head on his shoulder. Isn’t this too intimate for a couple of dudes hanging out…? “Tenma… Tenma, I made a reservation for a restaurant,” he brings up out of nowhere, wanting the situation to be slightly awkward instead of entirely awkward. “We should get going… in about half an hour.”

“Mhm. What kind of restaurant is it?” Tenma whispers. He is enjoying the moment a bit too much, probably. But he doesn’t care, and neither do the butterflies he’s feeling in his stomach. Or maybe that’s his hunger.

“ _Sushi_ ,” Kyousuke answers.

“Aren’t those very expensive?” Tenma asks with worry. He didn’t want Kyousuke to spend a lot of money, no matter how good the food was.

“I guess…” It is expensive. _Very expensive_. But is there a better way to spend your savings than to take your crush on a fancy date? Kyousuke didn’t think so.

Tenma has a bad feeling.

* * *

“T-Tsurugi…!” Tenma’s hands shake as he reads the prices listed on the menu. “You can’t pay for all this! It’s too much!” 

“It’s okay, I have savings.” Yes, taking Tenma on a date that only Shindou should be able to pay maybe was a bit too much. But what else was he supposed to do with the money he had saved? Someone else had paid for his brother’s operation, so he didn’t know what to do with the money. This seemed like the best thing to do.

“Let me pay my part.” Tenma also has his own savings. His parents send him a couple thousand yen each month and he barely spends any money, never knowing what to do with it. It seems that he has found the perfect occasion to spend it.

Kyousuke sighs, knowing Tenma is not going to take a ‘no’ for an answer. “Alright…” Fighting with Tenma over the matter is not worth it. He would lose. Instead, he calls a waiter and tells him their orders.

“You know,” Tenma starts when the waiter leaves, “this kinda feels like we’re having a date.”

“Why?” Kyousuke swiftly asks.

“Well, you first took me to the park, and now we’re having dinner at a fancy restaurant… no one had done so much for me before.” Tenma blushes. It’s kind of embarrassing, really. “But I’m very happy.”

“I… I’m glad.” Tenma is thinking of their… outing as a joke, which makes Kyousuke relax.

“We can now tell Yuuichi-san that we had a date!” Tenma jokes. “How do you think he’d react?”

Kyousuke ignores Tenma’s question and quickly says, “We can, but we shouldn’t.” His brother knows how he feels about Tenma. Tenma doesn’t. Telling him they had a date could lead to a _very_ awkward conversation. “He would misunderstand it.”

“Oh, you’re right. But we could always tell him it’s a joke.” Tenma imagines the scene and grins. “I think he’d be amused.”

Yes, he would be amused, Kyousuke thinks. _Far too amused_. “How’s your tuna?” He tries to change the topic of the conversation, wanting to run away from his feelings.

“It’s delicious!”

* * *

After doing homework, Tenma suggests, “Do you want to watch a movie tonight?”

“Don’t we have school tomorrow?” Kyousuke asks, putting his notebooks back into his school bag. It has taken them a while to finish their homework and it’s now 9 PM, so Kyousuke isn’t sure of it being a good idea.

Tenma shrugs. “Yeah. But it’s just an hour and a half!” With pleading eyes, he looks at Kyousuke.

The taller boy sighs. “…Alright.” He follows Tenma to the living room.

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! Though it’s kinda sad.” Tenma gets the movie from his suitcase and inserts it in the DVD player.

Kyousuke goes to the kitchen to prepare a couple mugs of hot cocoa. When he returns to the living room, he finds Tenma playing with the settings on the TV remote, a blanket beside him (must have gotten it from the closet, Kyousuke guesses). He places the mugs on the table, unable to stop looking at Tenma.

“Tsurugi?” Tenma looks back at him.

Kyousuke flinches. “Hm?”

“Oh, you made hot cocoa? Thank you,” Tenma takes the mug closer to him and sips it. It’s hot, but it’s good and calming. “It’s delicious.” He covers his right shoulder with the blanket and taps the space beside him.

Kyousuke gets the message and sits down.

“Wait a sec, Tsurugi.” Tenma pulls the blanket over Kyousuke’s left shoulder and lays his head on the other one. He wraps himself with his half of the blanket, feeling very comfy. “Hm…?” Kyousuke is oddly tense. “Is something wrong, Tsurugi…?” Maybe he wanted a blanket for himself instead of sharing?

Kyousuke shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Tsurugi… do you like it when I hug you?” Perhaps he’s a little late asking that… but Tenma has always assumed everyone likes physical contact. He is unsure of how Kyousuke feels about it, apparently being okay with it when they’re alone but not when they’re in public. Isn’t that weird? It’s like they were dating. He also doesn’t recall Kyousuke ever letting Nishizono hug him.

“Well... I’d prefer if you didn’t surprise me with those. But I wouldn’t say I don’t like them. It’s just…” _It’s just that it embarrasses me how happy they make me._ “It’s nothing.”

“Is this okay?” Tenma wraps his arm around Kyousuke’s waist and pulls him closer.

Kyousuke blinks and silently nods. He reminds himself that he isn’t the kind of person to blush, and he never will… he hopes. No, he prays to every single celestial being that may be watching him. And he prays for them to have mercy on him and not let his face show a single speck of red or pink. He has always wanted to be like the cool guys he sees on TV shows and wrap his arm around Tenma’s shoulders, maybe even try to flirt with him. But he finds himself in the wrong position.

Tenma plays the movie, unaware of how Kyousuke’s chin is trying to reach the top of his head. It’s not that Kyousuke can’t reach Tenma’s head, it’s just that he doesn’t have the courage to do it.

* * *

Frowning, Kyousuke feels weird. Uneasy. The protagonist of the movie resonates with him a bit too much. She had tried to pursue the person she loves the most the entire time, not caring about her own decisions, but ended up separating herself from her loved one. But, unlike her and her friend, _Tenma and him really_ did want to do the same thing. It’s not like he isn’t following his own path… it’s just that he wants to share his journey with someone else. It isn’t something bad…

“That’s quite the story… and the music is amazing. No wonder they’re from the music club. But the end is kinda sad. I wouldn’t be happy…” Tenma imagines how his life would be without Kyousuke. He dislikes the scenery that appears on his mind.

“You don’t mind the both of them being girls?” Kyousuke asks, daring to cross his eyesight with Tenma’s.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that…,” Tenma clarifies. “But I wouldn’t mind it. Have you never been curious about how it must be to date somebody like you? It can’t be too different from dating a girl! …Though that’s not something I’d know.”

Kyousuke nods. It’s a daily thought, he thinks. No, not daily, hourly. His mind begins to wonder. Maybe Tenma is bisexual. Maybe he even likes more boys than girls. Maybe Tenma likes him…! …And maybe Kyousuke is very delusional. He is sure everyone has questioned their sexuality at some point in their life. He frowns. Why had he been allowed to feel love? Life would be better without the unnecessary feelings Tenma always remembers him he has.

“Tsurugi? Are you alright?”

Kyousuke’s eyes blink and widen. He had forgotten Tenma was with him, which was incredible, taking on account his shoulder was being occupied by the smaller boy’s head. “Yeah.”

“The movie left you shaken up, didn’t it? I get you, it was very emotional.” Tenma gets up and yawns, leaving Kyousuke’s shoulder frozen. “Let’s go to sleep. I’m getting drowsy.”

* * *

Tenma shivers in his bed. The snow falling outside feels like it’s what’s wrapping him instead of his quilt. He turns and tries to get Kyousuke’s attention. “Tsurugi, Tsurugi!” he whispers, not wanting to wake the striker up in case he’s asleep.

Fortunately, that isn’t the case. Kyousuke also is unable to sleep, shivering as well. “What is it, Tenma?”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Suddenly, Kyousuke doesn’t feel cold. “Why?”

“It’s cold,” Tenma answers.

“…Okay.” Kyousuke scoots over and lets Tenma join him. He feels Tenma’s back against his and the coldness of his body leaves, an odd hotness replacing it. Kyousuke sighs. Taking advantage of Tenma. That’s what he thinks he is doing. Tenma isn’t laying beside him because he wants to make Kyousuke nervous, he just finds it comforting to sleep beside someone else. _You’re an awful person. You’re a horrible, horrible person._

As he dreams, Tenma turns around and hugs Kyousuke in search of more warmth.

Kyousuke feels too hot. He blinks and tries to breathe as he usually does. His eyes finally close when his cheek feels wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [here's how i imagine the park to be](https://imgur.com/a/mrYOLLH)
> 
> tbh, i wasn't sure if to use "tuna" or "maguro" (tuna in japanese) for the sushi scene, but i ended up going with tuna. also, apparently jp people order sushi by saying its main ingredient????? like they don't say "i'd like two pieces of salmon nigiri", they just say "i'd like two salmon". i really like that way of ordering ngl
> 
> anyways, see y'all next week. next chapter is a long one.


	3. The third week

“No one else will come here?” _Tenma places his hands on my shoulders._

“No,” _I answer him, hugging his neck. I have no idea of where we are, but it seems to be a very small place, like a closet. It’s very dark, but I somehow am seeing Tenma._

“Then let’s do this,” _Tenma tells me and takes my cheek._

_I take his._

_Our lips get closer… and closer… and—_

Kyousuke wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and shivering. He wakes Tenma up as well.

“Tsurugi…?” Tenma asks sheepishly. He feels the body he’s embracing trembling, which is more than enough to fully awake him. “Tsurugi, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Kyousuke pushes away Tenma’s arm from him and gets up from the bed. “Sleep more,” he tells Tenma as he puts on what he considers to be his school uniform. “I’m going to visit my brother.”

“I’ll accompany you.” Before Tenma gets off the bed, Kyousuke stops him.

“ _Don’t,_ ” Kyousuke sharply says. “You don’t… need to do it. I’ll see you later.” He didn't mean to sound aggressive.

“But—”

Kyousuke glances at Tenma before leaving the bedroom.

It makes Tenma stop arguing.

Kyousuke closes the door, swiftly passes by the bathroom to brush his hair, and leaves. He needs to talk with someone— anyone. Anyone but Tenma. His brother happens to be the choice available now.

* * *

“Good morning, Kyousuke,” Yuuichi greets his brother. There is over an hour left until Kyousuke’s classes start, leaving him to wonder why his sibling is even awake (or why he arrived just as the hospital was opening). “Why did you wake up so soon?”

“Oh.” Kyousuke takes a seat. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to check you’re doing fine.”

Yuuichi frowns. Kyousuke has never visited him this early and there’s no reason for him to be worried. His operation has been paid, after all. Guessing his brother is lying, Yuuichi asks, “Did something happen with Tenma-kun?” He doesn’t ask about Tenma’s whereabouts, guessing he’s sleeping.

Kyousuke flinches. “No. We’re doing fine.”

Yuuichi notices the movement. “ _Kyousuke._ ”

The younger boy sighs. There’s no point in hiding something his brother already knows is wrong. “I don’t know for how long I’m going to be able to do this.” Kyousuke scrunches his pocket’s fabric. “Tenma… I feel like I’m taking advantage of him.”

“You’d never do that. I’ve never seen you treat Tenma badly,” Yuuichi argues.

But Kyousuke remembers well his past. “What would you know?” he snaps at his brother. "You know nothing about us.”

It hurts Yuuichi to hear such words from Kyousuke. He remains calm and understanding, noticing his sibling getting progressively more agitated. “Kyousuke, breathe. Breathe slowly… and tell me what happened.”

Kyousuke follows his brother’s directions. Feeling a bit better now, he begins, “I had a dream where Tenma and I…” He hesitates on the last part. It’s embarrassing to tell your older brother about your stupid teenager dreams. “Tenma and I… kissed,” he murmurs the ending of the sentence.

“Isn’t that something normal?” Yuuichi cannot comprehend what Kyousuke is so worried about. Don’t all teenagers dream about kissing their crush? In fact, Yuuichi is surprised by how mild Kyousuke’s dream is. He recalls hearing a good number of obscenities from his friends when he was his brother’s age.

“I don’t like it,” Kyousuke complains.

“There’s nothing you can do about it… For now, go back home and talk with Tenma-kun. Say you had a bad dream. I’m sure he’ll understand it. And please? Come with Tenma-kun next time,” Yuuichi requests his brother.

Kyousuke nods and returns home.

* * *

When he comes back, Kyousuke sees Tenma fully dressed, sitting on the couch, deep in thought. “Tenma?”

“Tsurugi!” Tenma hadn’t even heard Kyousuke open the door. It wasn’t like him to be so absent-minded. “…Did you and Yuuichi-san fight?” He notices Kyousuke still having a tired look, but he can’t tell if he looks more tired than he did an hour ago.

Kyousuke shakes his head. “I had a bad dream.”

“Wanna tell me about it?” Tenma asks, hoping Kyousuke gives him a positive response.

“No,” Kyousuke answers. “It’s nothing important.” He heads towards the entrance. “Let’s get going or we’ll be late.”

“Okay…” Kyousuke doesn’t need to tell him everything, Tenma knows that. Yet, he can’t help it but worry. Kyousuke has been acting weird lately and Tenma is sure he, in some way, is involved with the problem. But how is he supposed to come up with a solution when he doesn’t know what the problem is? He thinks about the matter on his way to school.

The odd silence makes Kyousuke feel weird, accustomed to Tenma’s hyperactive personality filling the air. And, as much as it hurts him, he’s glad his and Tenma’s hand are far from each other. _It’s better this way._

* * *

The day goes as usual and both youngsters make their way home.

Tenma hears Kyousuke’s stomach roar. “Hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten,” Kyousuke answers.

“…In the entire day?” Tenma doesn’t remember seeing Kyousuke eat anything today, not even at lunch.

Kyousuke sighs. “In the entire day.”

“What would you like to have for dinner?” Tenma is more than ready to cook for his friend. How could someone go an entire day without eating?! That’s unthinkable!

“You don’t need to cook for me.” If he wanted food, Kyousuke himself knew a bit of cooking. He didn’t need help, though he can appreciate the kind intention. Tenma always thought of him… what a wonderful person.

“Let me. Please.” Tenma lays a hand on Kyousuke’s arm and immediately retrieves it. “You’re freezing!”

“I shouldn’t wear a V-neck this thin in winter,” Kyousuke tries to joke.

Tenma frowns. It can’t be good to feel cold and hungry. He would feel miserable if he went through the same situation. “Let’s get _oden_. It’s cheap and the convenience store is close.”

“Tenma, I’m okay.” The only thing Kyousuke needs is to arrive home, go to sleep and hope he never ever wakes up again.

“You have to eat!” Tenma stops walking. He refuses to take another step until Kyousuke accompanies him to that darn convenience store to buy some hot, delicious oden.

“Tenma…” Tenma had already spent quite a bit of money the other day, so Kyousuke didn’t want him to spend a yen more. In his eyes, it had been his fault that Tenma had to pay the other day and he did not want to commit the same mistake twice.

“So?” Perhaps this is Tenma’s weirdest reason to get upset, but he doesn’t care. “Let’s go to the convenience store.”

Kyousuke sighs again. No matter what he says, he isn’t going to change Tenma’s mind. “Fine. Let’s go.”

* * *

_Oden_ obtained, the boys finally reach home.

Kyousuke sits on the couch as Tenma puts the bags on the table. The taller kid doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t deserve to be treated with so much affection. He hasn’t done anything special for Tenma. And yet, Tenma is always there for him. He wants to cry. He wants to let all the emotions he has been feeling these past few weeks burst out. But he has learned to repress himself.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter how good Kyousuke is at keeping himself from others when Tenma can read him like an open book. “You’ve been acting weird since you woke up… Can you really not tell me about that dream?”

“No.” Kyousuke finds hiding his small secret from Tenma very challenging. It could all be settled if he just told Tenma about the dream… if he just confessed his true feelings for him. But how would Tenma respond? Would he accept him? Would he hate him? The latter option made Kyousuke unable to fight his anxiety back.

“Well… relax. Now that we’re home, you’ll get warm. And after we’re done with the _oden_ , you won’t be hungry anymore.” An idea pops on Tenma’s mind. “Oh, I’ll make some tea.” He smiles at Kyousuke. “I’ll be right back,” he says and leaves to the kitchen.

That’s it. Kyousuke rushes to the bathroom and turns on the sink. His eyes are glossy, far too shiny for his comfort. As tears fall on the bowl, he washes his face with cold water. His heart is beating fast, very fast, too fast. He looks at himself in the mirror. Why did he have such pale skin? The red markings on his face were impossible to hide.

He steps back and collides with the door. A hand covers his mouth as he sits on the floor, his back sliding against the door.

Sniffle.

_I don’t deserve Tenma._

Sniffle.

_He’s too good for me._

Sniffle.

_After all the pain I have caused, I don’t understand why he’s trying to get along with me._

Sniffle.

_I wish I had never met him._

Sniffle.

_Things would’ve been better like that._

Sniffle.

_I wouldn’t have to deal with this._

Knock knock. “Tsurugi?”

Kyousuke flinches. Tenma, who got worried when he didn’t see Kyousuke in the living room, is knocking on the door. He stands up and opens the door, knowing well he shouldn’t. “Hey.”

“Tsurugi,” Tenma says with a quiet, shaky whisper. The redness around Kyousuke’s eyes only meant one thing.

Kyousuke sits again on the couch, Tenma sitting beside him. “It’s nothing you have to worry about. I’m just tired. I’ll sleep it off.” No response. Kyousuke sips his tea, nearly burning his tongue. “…The tea is good.” As soon as he puts down his beverage, he feels someone embrace him. “Tenma—”

Tenma hugs him tighter.

Kyousuke blinks. Trembling, he hugs Tenma back. _Why is this…_

“I’m sorry,” Tenma murmurs. “I want to help you, but I don’t know how…”

Kyousuke shifts his head. “Tenma…”

“I’m sorry…,” the shorter kid repeats.

“Tenma, it’s not your fault,” Kyousuke tells his friend.

“What… do you mean?” Tenma asks.

“I…” Kyousuke sighs. “I can’t say it. But you’re not… it’s not your fault.”

Tenma sighs as well, feeling useless.

Kyousuke shares the sentiment.

“If you ever, ever need support,” Tenma begins, “ _please_ tell me. I’m always going to be here for you, because there’s no one I care more about.” There is nothing Tenma hates more than seeing Kyousuke depressed.

Kyousuke’s eyes widen. His breathing stops. “…You’re also…” C’mon, have courage, Kyousuke! “You’re also my most important person.”

Tenma smiles at that. He didn’t have any doubts regarding that statement, but it made him happy to hear it out loud. Kyousuke wasn’t the type to voice his thoughts. That fact made the sentence even more special.

“…You’re going to hate me,” Kyousuke whispers.

“I could never hate you,” Tenma whispers back.

Kyousuke doesn’t doubt Tenma’s words. “Then…” He inhales… and exhales. “I had a dream where we… we ki— we nearly kissed.” The audacity he lacks makes him keep hugging Tenma. His chin feels comfortable on Tenma’s shoulder. That feeling fills his entire body and tries to fight his anxiety.

“That doesn’t bother me.” It was a dream, it wasn’t something real. But Tenma thinks there must be something else annoying Kyousuke. He is beginning to realize what it is, if he hadn’t already. “Is that why…?”

“No.” There’s no point in hiding it anymore. “The problem is…” He hugs Tenma tighter. The possible rejection he might be received with makes his throat dry. “I…” He gulps. It’s now or never. “I like you.”

If this situation happened with any other person, Tenma would feel very uncomfortable. The only thing his body gets right now is a warm feeling. “I had a feeling you did. Sometimes, you get nervous when I look at you. And the other day we had a date…” That will forever be one of Tenma’s favorite experiences.

“Sorry…,” Kyousuke apologizes.

“No, it’s fine,” Tenma clarifies. “I mean, I like you— I love you, but… I don’t know if it’s in the way you do…” He has never had a girlfriend, much less a boyfriend. The difference between liking someone as a friend and liking someone as a romantic partner is unclear to him.

Kyousuke breathes quietly. He hadn’t thought about it in that way. The difference between a friend and a boyfriend… At what point would your love for someone be considered romantic? Wouldn’t that point be different for each person? Perhaps there are people who don’t even have one.

“So… so it won’t bother me if you tell me that you like me. It would make me very happy. But let’s stay friends for now…?” Tenma separates from the hug and looks at Kyousuke, trying to find any physical cues regarding his opinion.

“Fine by me,” Kyousuke answers. He has been rejected, but he feels happy. Their relationship being intact even after such revelations shows how strong their bond is. He is proud of it. “I love you.” Despite his stubborn nature, he has no trouble speaking such words.

“I love you too,” Tenma responds with a big smile, hugging Kyousuke again.

“I was scared… That if I told you how I felt, you’d hate me and leave me,” Kyousuke confessed.

“I could never do that.” Tenma loves Kyousuke. More than anyone else. It would hurt him a lot to leave his dearest person behind.

“Why… do you like me?” Kyousuke isn’t the warmest person around and he doesn’t talk very often. He believes there are people who take greater care of Tenma than him. Nonetheless, he fails to consider how his actions affect the midfielder.

“Why…? I guess because you treat me well and love soccer as well?” Kyousuke made Tenma feel different. A kind of love he isn’t able to name. “I can’t say for sure. We’ve been through so much…”

That answer leaves Kyousuke unsatisfied. But he understands what Tenma means, since he feels the same way. He shouldn’t have asked such a question. He himself wouldn’t know how to respond, having too many reasons for why he loves Tenma and at the same time, few. So many and so few that he would be unable to say them all.

“I should be the one surprised. I haven’t done anything remarkable and I haven’t told you anything about me… I don’t really get why you like me, but I’m glad.” Tenma is more than open to hear the reasons as to why Kyousuke likes him. He doesn’t expect to hear them, though, now aware of how shy Kyousuke really is. In a way, it amuses him. He finds it to be a cute trait. Most people wouldn’t expect Kyousuke to be shy, but Tenma thinks it fits him to a tee.

“Uh… are you from here?” Kyousuke can’t believe how awkward he is when he is with Tenma.

Thankfully, Tenma doesn’t mind that. “Nah. I’m from Okinawa.”

“Why did you come here?” The question sounds wrong, but Kyousuke doesn’t know how else to word it.

“My parents came for work reasons… then left for the same reason. But they wanted me to attend school here, so they rented me an apartment. I’m sure they knew how much I wanted to go to Raimon and that’s why they did it.” Tenma has no desire to go back to Okinawa. He loves the life he has right now at Kanto.

So Tenma lives alone, huh. That’s impressive, Kyousuke thinks. …Tenma does have a caretaker, doesn’t he? Then he doesn’t really live alone. It’s like if he had a second mother. Still, Kyousuke is a bit jealous. He thinks Tenma has more liberty than he does. If he lived alone, he could invite Tenma over as much as he wanted… “Would you… invite somebody over?” What is he even asking? Would Tenma even be the type to want to make out with someone?

“Yeah. You.” Tenma finds it embarrassing to tease Kyousuke like that, but the response he gets is so worth it.

“A-Ah—” Kyousuke’s face goes red. “Well I— I’ve never—” His brain forgets how to construct sentences with meaning. This is beyond unbelievable. Tenma and him have an apartment for themselves for an entire month and thinking about going to Tenma’s apartment it’s what’s making him nervous. Pathetic, Kyousuke. Pathetic.

“I’m joking,” Tenma laughs.

Kyousuke buries his face on Tenma’s shoulder and huffs. “I’ll get upset if you do that again.”

Tenma knows by heart that’s not true. “Or maybe I wasn’t.”

“Stop that,” Kyousuke mutters. He then feels Tenma hug him tighter. “What is it?”

“You never let me hug you and we’ve been hugging for a while now… I’m so happy…” Tenma wishes he could live constantly hugging Kyousuke. Wake up hugging him. Go to school hugging him. Play soccer hugging him. He would never get tired.

“If somebody saw us, they would misunderstand this… doesn’t that bother you…?” Hugging for so long is in no way platonic… in most cases. Kyousuke guesses Tenma is a special one.

“Of course not! But, are you liking this?” Tenma doesn’t want to be hugged because he enjoys hugging. He wants to be hugged because Kyousuke does want to hug him. A thought that makes his cheeks go red.

“…Yes. You’re… warm.” Kyousuke feels his face get hotter. What an embarrassing thing to admit.

Tenma sighs happily and takes Kyousuke’s cheek. It makes him immediately separate from the hug. “ _You’re burning!_ ”

Kyousuke squeaks and hides his face behind his hands. “ _I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!_ ”

“I didn’t think you’d be so shy.” In a way, the reaction makes Tenma feel more confident.

“I’m… not,” Kyousuke falsely declares. “…Let’s eat. The oden must be cold already.” He breaks the hug and gets the oden out of the bags.

“Oh, you’re right,” Tenma responds. He takes the chopsticks he had placed beside the tea earlier.

“Thanks for the meal!” both of them say and begin to eat.

* * *

As soon as he gets inside Kyousuke’s bed, Tenma hugs the aforementioned boy.

“You _really_ like hugging…” Kyousuke is unable to bring himself to hug Tenma. He’s not accustomed to having physical contact with someone for so long.

“Of course I do! Doesn’t it feel reassuring?” Tenma brings Kyousuke closer while still trying to be gentle.

Kyousuke smiles. _Ah, screw it._ He hugs Tenma back. “It does.” _But only if it’s from you._

“So… about you liking me…” Tenma approaches Kyousuke’s ear, with a doubt he has always had on his mind. “Is that why you wanted to keep Fire Tornado Double Drive a secret from the others?”

Kyousuke gulps and closes his eyes. “ _Good night._ ”

“Ehh? That’s not fair!” Tenma knows Kyousuke isn’t actually asleep. He also knows Kyousuke isn’t going to answer his question. Oh well, there’s nothing he can do about it. Sighing, he smiles. “Good night, Tsurugi.”

* * *

Tenma yawns as he wakes up. The usual winter mornings are gloomy, so the sunlight that hits him hurts his eyes. He grabs his phone from the desk and checks the hour. “10:00… 10:00?” He is wide awake now and violently shaking Kyousuke to wake him up. “Tsurugi, wake up! We’re so late! It’s 10:00 already!”

“Let’s skip school today then…” Kyousuke turns and pulls the duvet closer to him.

“But what about soccer—”

“It’ll be fine if we don’t go one day.” Kyousuke brushes Tenma off.

“Well… we at least should get up.” Tenma shakes Kyousuke again, much more gently than before. “Get up.”

“Don’t wanna.” The bed is fluffy and warm. Why would Kyousuke (or anyone) want to get up?

“You’re putting on my uniform if you don’t wake up.” Tenma shakes Kyousuke yet again.

“What kind of punishment is that?” Kyousuke asks.

“I know you don’t like tight clothes and my uniform is too small for you.” Tenma gets off the bed and starts dressing up with Kyousuke clothes. “Hey, your shirt doesn’t look that bad on me.”

Kyousuke turns around. He finds Tenma trying to put on the pants he usually wears. Which obviously are too big for the shorter boy. “What are you doing?”

“Stealing your clothes,” Tenma replies, rolling up the bottom hems of the pants. He then fastens Kyousuke’s belt around his waist. “Doesn’t this take you a lot of effort every morning?”

“No, because I don’t need a smaller size to wear them,” Kyousuke grumps.

Tenma puts on the cape. “This doesn’t look like something you’d see in any store. Did you make it yourself?”

“Yes,” Kyousuke responds proudly. It took him a lot of time to do it, having never sewn and puberty getting in his way. Suddenly going from Tenma’s height to his current one hadn’t been fun.

“Really? That’s cool.” Tenma searches in Kyousuke’s closet to find out what else he has. He’s only seen the striker wearing clothes with dark colors, so it would be surprising to find something bright… or pastel. “Oh, wow… I didn’t think you'd own this.”

“What?” Kyousuke asks still.

“This sweater.” Tenma shows him the clothing in question. “It’s so fuzzy and cute. I would have never expected you to have something like this.” It also is very big. It already looks oversized for Kyousuke, making Tenma unable to imagine how it would look on himself.

“Oh, that… It’s my favorite nightwear. It’s very warm and comfy.” Kyousuke has barely used it due to him not wanting his family to know he owns something that is most definitely not targeted towards boys.

“Why haven’t you been wearing it?” Tenma asks.

“I didn’t know how you would react to… seeing me with that. It’s not something made for guys,” Kyousuke responds. If Tenma had seen the sweater before yesterday, Kyousuke would be nervous. But he knows Tenma is okay with anything he likes now.

“Who cares! Put it on, I’m sure you look great on it.” Tenma lays the sweater on Kyousuke, waiting for him to change.

Kyousuke blushes and sits up. He begins to take off his current shirt, “Tenma, the sweatpants should be there as well. Can you get them for me?”

“Sure!” Tenma searches the lower half of the pyjamas as Kyousuke puts on the upper half. “Found them!” He throws them to Kyousuke.

“Thank you,” he puts on the polychromatic sweater. “…How do I look?” No one has ever seen him wear such… _adorable_ clothes. This is his first time showing someone his secret likes.

“You look cute! You should be a model, you look good in anything.” Even if Kyousuke is a boy, Tenma thinks he would look great in a skirt. “Have you thought about wearing skirts? They’re loose, aren’t they? Though I’d be scared of somebody pulling it up…” Tenma wonders if the managers of the soccer club live with that fear every day or don’t think about it.

“My thoughts exactly.” Skirts are fine, except for the flaw of them having the ability to reveal his underwear very easily. _And in public_. Kyousuke would rather die than have that happen to him. “Besides, if my parents discovered I own something like that…” He is already scared of what his parents might say about him owning something with light, cute colors. The thought of his parents discovering he owns a skirt makes his blood cold.

“I could hide it for you at my place. Aki-nee wouldn’t mind it, I’m sure of it. You could come to my place whenever you wanted to use it and you could change there.” Tenma thinks about what Kyousuke could do about the length problem. “Hey, don’t girls wear long skirts around these dates? You could try those. They nearly touch the floor, so there’s no chance of pulling them up.”

“Tenma…” Kyousuke appreciates a lot what Tenma is coming up with for him. Though, is wearing a skirt in winter really the best idea…? Well… He supposes the ones made with wool look warm enough. “Thank you. I’ll think about it.”

Tenma smiles. He is always happy to help. “Let’s go have breakfast.”

Kyousuke nods and follows Tenma.

* * *

“Y’know, I’ve been wondering… Why do you go to sleep with the fake eyelashes on?”

Kyousuke stops eating. “What do you mean?” he asks.

Tenma taps the bottom of his own eyes. “Your eyelashes. Why would you want them to still be long while you’re sleeping?”

“What?” Kyousuke blinks, trying to connect the dots of what Tenma is trying to say. He looks at himself on his phone’s camera and realizes what Tenma is talking about. “Tenma, these are my _real_ eyelashes.”

“Oh. _Oh wow._ ” Tenma stares at Kyousuke’s eyes with disbelief. “You have… the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen. But they’re pretty.”

Kyousuke blushes. It’s not the first time his eyelashes have been complimented, but it feels much different coming from Tenma. “Thanks.” Kyousuke looks at Tenma, wanting to compliment him back. “Your eyes… are pretty.” They aren’t too blueish, but neither too grayish. Kyousuke considers this to be a nice balance. “They’re like… rain clouds.” Once again, Kyousuke cannot believe how awkward he is. “I-I like rain.”

Tenma blushes as well. His physique hac never been complimented… nor his personality. “Thank you.” He prefers sunny days over rainy ones, but if Kyousuke thinks of rain clouds as a compliment, then he does as well. “Are you going to visit Yuuichi-san later?”

“Yeah.” Kyousuke does not dare to make eye contact with Tenma, too embarrassed to do so.

“I’ll accompany you today,” Tenma tells him.

“Okay. Don’t tell him we skipped school.” Kyousuke looks at the hour, wondering when they should go.

“I won’t.” While Kyousuke checks his phone, Tenma looks forth and back at each other’s clothes. “Uhm, Tsurugi… We should change.”

“Uh?” Kyousuke’s gaze focuses on Tenma and remembers the midfielder is wearing his clothes. It makes him blush. “Yeah, we should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was supposed to post this earlier but i forgot 🤡🤡🤡
> 
> i'm aware japanese hospitals usually open after schools do, but i've seen at least one (1) hospital in tokyo do the opposite. the inahospital gonna be that hospital now.
> 
> that's it for today folks. this sunday i'm going to have a jp class with a native speaker, wish me luck fellas.


	4. The last week

Everyone notices how Kyousuke and Tenma are acting these days. How they seem to be much, much closer. Which already seemed to be impossible. This, of course, makes the team question both boys’ relationship.

“What do you think, Shindou-senpai?” Kariya asks his teammate. “Do you think Tsurugi-kun and Tenma-kun are dating?”

“Ah… maybe.” Shindou doesn’t wanna dwell into discussion. He knows Kyousuke and Tenma’s relationship better than anyone else in the team. And he has his own questions, but doesn’t wanna share them with his friends. Shindou is more than aware of how private the relationship the striker and the midfielder hold is. He is also very aware of how little he actually knows about them… making his teammates know _absolutely nothing_.

That’s why he requests the pair to hang out with him as soon as they can. To answer his questions. If they don’t want to answer them, that’s fine. How Kyousuke and Tenma define their relationship shouldn’t be a matter of his— nor anyone else’s. Yet, he can’t shake off the feeling of something important having happened.

* * *

That Friday, Shindou, Kyousuke and Tenma reunite beside the riverbed.

“Good evening,” Shindou greets them.

The younger boys greet him back.

The three of them sit on a stone bench, Tenma sitting in the middle.

Feeling the ambient to be serene enough, Shindou decides to be straight-forward with the matter.

Kyousuke knows the upcoming question.

Tenma knows it as well.

“Are you two really just friends?”

Kyousuke remains silent. He has already expressed to Tenma how he feels. If Tenma feels they’re something else besides friends, he’s going to accept it. As long as it isn’t something bad, he will accept it.

Contrary to how Shindou expected Tenma to react, the brunet simply sighs. “I don’t know.” He feels Kyousuke’s eyes on him. “If I saw people acting like we do… I wouldn’t think of them as friends.”

Shindou frowns. He knows he shouldn’t have asked the question so soon— but Tenma’s response suggests he already knows how Kyousuke feels. “So… you know?”

“Know what?”

“He knows,” Kyousuke responds.

“Tsurugi’s feelings,” Shindou answers Tenma.

“Oh. Ah, yeah.” Tenma isn’t sure of what he is supposed to say about those.

“Don’t they make you uncomfortable?” Shindou used to be uncomfortable being near a girl who had a crush on him, though he has gotten accustomed to it.

“Tsurugi could never make me uncomfortable,” Tenma swiftly says. “Tsurugi always makes sure I feel good.” He takes the quiet boy’s hand, who smiles at the little event. “I could never hate him, even if I tried.”

“You’re… not dating? But like each other?” Shindou didn’t understand a thing.

“I don’t know if what I feel is… romantic love? It’s just— I feel people aren’t like this when they’re dating somebody. They’re very aggressive and possessive… I don’t want any of that. It hurts both people.” Tenma sighs again. “I guess it’s something… bittersweet? If Tsurugi left me, I… then I…” The pale hand holding his grips him tighter. Tenma looks at Kyousuke.

Kyousuke looks at him with a gaze that suggests he doesn’t want him to keep talking. He doesn’t recall his heart ever stopping like it has now. It hasn’t been like other times, where his heart seemed to stop because it was beating so fast. It was like it had frozen.

“I wouldn’t be happy, but I’d… be happy for him…” Tenma ends up whispering, not believing in his own words. Possessiveness is bad, he knows that and hates it. And even so, imagining Kyousuke leaving hurts him.

Shindou can guess what Tenma is thinking. “It’s not possessive if the feeling is mutual.”

“That’s right,” Kyousuke murmurs.

Tenma feels the tie in his throat get undone. “Tsurugi…”

Shindou nods to himself, giving the other two a pensive gaze. He has never thought about relationships like that. Perhaps he should have a talk with Kirino. Leaving that thought for later, he gives his opinion on the matter. “Then you have your own kind of love. You shouldn’t think of what other people think or do. It’s _your_ relationship, after all. What you think of as something romantic will differ from what somebody else thinks.” He stands up and looks around the riverbed. “This place is special for you two, isn’t it? I think Tsurugi told me that sometime ago.”

Tenma gives Kyousuke a surprised look. “You told him about…?”

Kyousuke shakes his head. Those secret days will forever be only known by them.

Shindou isn’t able to tell what Kyousuke and Tenma are talking about, but doesn’t care. “I’m leaving.”

“But we just got here,” Tenma tells him.

“There’s something I must do,” Shindou responds. “Enjoy your date,” he jokes and walks away.

Silence. Silence fills the air, but neither of them feel uncomfortable with it.

But there’s something Kyousuke needs to say. So he speaks up. “I’m never going to leave you.”

Tenma looks down. “You can if you want.”

Kyousuke intertwines his fingers with Tenma’s. “I don’t want to.”

Tenma returns the action. “I’m… glad.” He looks up, at the cloudy sky. “Boyfriend.” His gaze shifts towards Kyousuke. “Would you be happy if I called you that?”

“Mhm.” Kyousuke feels butterflies in his stomach. This time, they make him feel nice. “Boyfriend…” His gaze connects with Tenma’s. “Would you be uncomfortable if I called you that?”

“No.” Tenma smiles, feeling his chest warm. “…Boyfriend. You’re… my boyfriend.” Realizing how awkward he sounds, Tenma laughs. “This is weird. I’ve never even had a girlfriend and… you don’t often see two guys together.”

“Society doesn’t like people that are different from the norm.” Kyousuke smiles back. “But I don’t care about any of that.”

“I wonder why… It’s not like they’re— It’s not like we’re hurting anybody.” Tenma lays his head on Kyousuke’s shoulder. “…Do you think our families will hate us for this?”

“Maybe.” Kyousuke knows his brother will accept them, but his parents? No idea. To be honest, Kyousuke doesn’t care right now about that. He is thinking of his current relationship status with Tenma. It’s cool that they’re dating and all that… but does he actually feel comfortable calling Tenma his boyfriend…? In front of everyone else…?

A snowflake falls on Tenma’s cheek. “Oh. It’s snowing.” He looks up and watches more and more snowflakes fall down, onto the ground. “We should head home.”

“Mhm.” Kyousuke stands up and walks beside Tenma. “Tenma?”

“What is it?” Tenma asks.

“Let’s keep this a secret from the others. My brother included.” It’s not that Kyousuke thinks Yuuichi will hate them. Just fears the possibility of his brother accidentally saying something he shouldn’t have to their parents.

Tenma doesn’t question him. This time, he also wants to be cautious. “Got it.”

* * *

“Tsurugi,—” Tenma approaches the boy sitting on the couch— “can I hug you?”

“…Mhm.” Kyousuke opens his arms hesitantly. He’s never done this. As he expected, this time, the hug is an affectionate one. So doting Tenma has tackled him against the backrest. Kyousuke nearly hits his head against the wall. “You know you can hug me without attacking me, right?”

“Hehe, sorry. You letting me hug you… makes me so happy…” Tenma pets Kyousuke’s head. It surprises him that Kyousuke's spikes don’t hurt him, for some reason. They actually were quite soft.

“What are you doing? I’m not a pet…,” Kyousuke murmurs, as if he wasn’t enjoying the action.

“Doesn’t it feel nice? I’ve seen people do this in TV shows…” Tenma traces the blue strands of hair with delicacy.

“I… guess…” Kyousuke pets Tenma’s head with shyness. His hand doesn’t even look like it’s moving.

But Tenma feels the gesture and embraces it.

Kyousuke embraces Tenma’s.

“So, now that we’re going out…” Tenma separates from Kyousuke’s shoulder and looks at him face-to-face. “Do we kiss?” Tenma blushes, realizing how bluntly his words came out. It came out as if he had been kissing people his entire life, which was very far from the truth.

Kyousuke’s face turns red. “Uh… I… don’t think I’m ready for that.” A hug is more than enough for him for now.

“Okay!” Tenma thinks kissing isn’t a big deal. But if Kyousuke does, that’s fine by him. “We should go to sleep. Or we’re going to be late.”

Kyousuke agrees with him.

They go to sleep, their arms wrapping each other’s bodies.

* * *

The next day, both boys spend their day cuddling and drinking cocoa. They would play soccer, but it’s snowing heavily, making partake in their favorite activity impossible.

“Your parents are coming back tomorrow, aren’t they?” Tenma asks his partner. A nod confirms this. “I’ll have to leave then…” He sinks onto Kyousuke’s arm. “I wish we actually lived together.”

Kyousuke silently agrees with him. He imagines how nice it would be to live with Tenma for his entire life. How nice it would be to have a child with him. Maybe a girl. And her name would be…

“Tsurugi?”

“No, that’s my family name.”

Tenma raises a brow. “What?”

Kyousuke nearly gasps, the sound getting stuck in his throat. “Uh, nothing. What is it?”

“Let’s get married someday,” Tenma tells him.

“Please.” Kyousuke’s face has never felt hotter. “Eh, ah… Let’s do it. When we’re older, I mean, we can’t, uh, w-we can’t get married with, with our age.”

“We’re just 13 after all…” Tenma takes Kyousuke’s hand. “I hope we spend the following years and many more together.”

Kyousuke smiles. “I hope so too.” He taps his thigh, wanting Tenma to sit on his lap. Which he does. Kyousuke hugs Tenma and nuzzles his crown.

Tenma remains silent, knowing a single sound would ruin the moment. He just lets Kyousuke hug him, something he is going to treasure forever.

* * *

The next day, Kyousuke’s parents arrive home.

“Good evening!” The woman greets the pair as she and her husband enter the apartment. “We’re back! How have you been?

“It’s been amazing! Right, Tsurugi?” Tenma asks the striker.

The way Tenma is looking at him makes Kyousuke’s stomach flutter. “Yeah.”

“It must have been nice to spend a month with your partner,” the father comments. “Your mother and I would have done anything to have that experience.”

“Part… ner?” Kyousuke asks. How did his parents know…?! Neither him nor Tenma had said anything about their relationship to Yuuichi. Or, perhaps… he is misunderstanding something. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t young people use that word? Doesn’t it mean ‘boyfriend’?” The woman recalled hearing the word in a program about the current Japanese youth… Maybe her son wasn’t the type to use it…

Tenma frowns, asking Kyousuke with his eyes if they should say something.

Kyousuke nods. “How do you know we’re dating?”

“Well, you always talk so much about Tenma… we supposed you would be dating.” It must be embarrassing for Kyousuke, since he has never explicitly told them about it… But it was very easy to discover the truth of the kids’ relationship.

Both boys blush.

Knowing Kyousuke is unable to say anything, Tenma speaks up, “Um… we started dating last week.”

“Eh?” The parents blink. “ _Ehhh?!_ ”

“A-Are you serious…?” the mother asks. Her fiance and her had thought the boys had been dating for _months_.

“Uhm… I-I guess we can tell Yuuichi-san now, haha…,” Tenma tries to joke. “…Anyways, I think I should leave!”

“I’ll accompany you!” Kyousuke tells him.

“Uh, Tenma-kun, don’t you wanna stay for dinner?” the father asks.

“I… think it’s better that I leave.” He buttons up his coat and takes his suitcase. “Let’s go, Tsurugi.”

Kyousuke nods and follows Tenma, leaving the apartment.

“…Hey,” the mother begins. “Do you think we made them uncomfortable?”

“Yes,” the father responds.

* * *

“That was awkward…!” Tenma cries as he tries to not slip on the ice.

Kyousuke agrees with him. “I still don’t think we should tell my brother…”

Tenma looks at his partner. “Why?”

Kyousuke sighs and blushes. “I don’t want him to make fun of me.”

“Yuuichi-san is…?”

“No,” Kyousuke cuts Tenma. “He likes to embarrass me.”

“Eh? Then we should tell him,” Tenma teases.

“ _Hey!_ ”

“Sorry,” Tenma laughs. “But it would be fun to watch that.”

“It’s fun when you’re not the one suffering it,” Kyousuke replies with a huff.

“Is it that bad…?” Tenma doubts.

“ _It is._ ” Kyousuke pouts and looks away, acting as if he was upset. The appearance of the building he’s looking at catches his attention. “Ah, that’s…”

“We arrived,” Tenma says.

“Well, then… Goodbye.” Kyousuke isn’t sure of what to say or do.

“Good… bye.” Tenma wonders why he feels sad. “W-Well, it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

Kyousuke nods, feeling just as sad. Now accustomed to having Tenma by his side at all moments, it’s going to be weird to return to his lonely life. He knows he should leave, but he doesn’t move from his place.

“Tsurugi… would you like to stay over next weekend?” Tenma asks.

Kyousuke blinks with wide eyes to then smile. “Yes.”

“Does Saturday work for you?” Tenma asks this time.

Kyousuke gives the same answer. “Yes.”

“Got it. Well then…” Tenma waves a hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kyousuke waves back, a tad too happily. “See you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. How was it? I enjoyed writing the entire fic a lot.  
> I want to clarify that I don't consider this fanfic to be completed. And I don't it will ever be completed. I'm writing this from my own experience and I know I'm always going to discover something new about my partner. I may rewrite this in the future, but, for now, I know the content it has reflects what I wanted to express. If I eventually rewrite, it will be to make the writing more professional or write about things I might not understand now.
> 
> On another note, I don't know how active I'm going to be in the tag anymore. There are projects I'd like to focus on. Writing Kyoten is fun and all that, but I keep making Kyoten the focus of attention when the fics should be side projects. And it's not like I have all the time of the world for my main projects, considering it's very hard for me to start doing stuff and I'm also learning Japanese. I have more Kyoten stuff planned, but I'm saving it to when I'm better at art so I can make doujins (especially because there's an idea that I have that I just don't know how I would write it in fic form). I think a good bunch of my fics would be much better in doujin form.  
> I still plan to upload more stuff this year, but I really don't know what else to write about. If anyone would like to see Kyoten in a specific setting or concept or something like that, please comment it.
> 
> Oh, and about comments. Please, please, _**PLEASE**_ , if you want to say something, _just say it_. There's nothing that makes writers happier than receiving comments about their works. Even if you think the comment is worthless, it means so much to us. Just comments like "I really enjoyed this!" or "This is very cute!" make our day! Even if the fanfic is extremely old, please leave a comment.
> 
> If you're reading this 5, 10 or 1000 years into the future, please leave a comment. It always makes me happy to see I have a notification in my inbox.
> 
> Anyways, that's kinda everything that I wanted to say. On a lighter note, I recently discovered I'm trans (still genderfluid though, I think) and I'm still hooked to Project Sekai. I'm telling y'all, VOCALOID _has never died_.
> 
> For any new readers that may be reading this and want to start writing; before starting to write, write an outline (like a guide made of bullet points) of your story. Do not pressure yourself into being fast or writing a lot. Your 2k words long story can be as good as that 70k words long story you love so much. Simply have fun and don't think about what others are doing. If you're having trouble coming up with something meaningful, write whatever that goes through your head at the moment or take a rest.
> 
> Twitter: @Takamin810
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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